An unusual respiratory virus known as enterovirus 68 has recently been striking dozens of metro kids in the city of Kansas, Fox News reported. With flu season being in full force, hospitals are finding it difficult to manage the multiple cases of the virus coming in each day.

The virus, wrongly reported to be meningitis several weeks ago, is known to cause severe breathing trouble, producing the symptom of an ordinary cold. It has placed more than 300 cases of children, of all ages, in Children's Mercy Hospital.

Preston Sheldon, 3, appeared normal while being dropped to a Grain Valley pre-school, but just minutes later, he started complaining of having trouble breathing, his mother, Pam Sheldon, said. "You could see his ribs, and his stomach was pushing out really hard... I thought it was an asthma attack."

Supportive care, including oxygen, eventually helped Preston get better, Pam said, adding that she was glad they hadn't waited to go to the emergency room. "Cause it can hit really fast. And without medical treatment, it could get really bad," she said.

Although the virus is well-known around the world, it has only recently infected children in Kansas City, causing huge concern to parents and inundating hospitals with a surge of patients daily.

"To be at winter census is quite unusual in August obviously. To see a virus we've not seen before is unusual, too," said Dr. Mary Anne Jackson, an infectious disease specialist. "We have about 10 to 15 percent who have severe illness from this virus which actually acts like asthma exacerbations."

While two-thirds of the hospitalized cases are similar to Preston's, who has a history of asthma or wheezing, patients without any history of difficult breathing are being admitted as well. "The difficulty breathing is a very obvious tip-off sign they need to come into the hospital," said Jackson.

In order to stop the virus from spreading further, Children's Mercy has posted signs at security entrances warning children younger than 12 from visiting in-patients.

Since there's no anti-viral medicine or vaccine of enterovirus 68, good hand washing, covering your mouth while coughing and not sending your child to school if he or she appears sick are some steps to help control the spread, Jackson said.